Stage 2: Labruge - Aguçadoura

At 6 AM this morning, the first pilgrims began to quietly pack their things. By 6:30, it seemed everyone had decided, 'Well, I might as well get up now since I'm already awake' 😁

I finally dragged myself out of bed and tested all my joints and muscles - not as bad as I had feared! So, I took the laundry from the clothesline, changed my clothes, got ready, and packed my backpack (this could still be optimized).

My first stop was the bakery around the corner, where I first grabbed a croissant for breakfast. By the way, today I was on my own, as Julie is switching to the central Camino route at her next stop and started later. Maybe we'll see each other again at the end 🙂

The start of the Camino was directly by the sea, without fog and in sunshine. The day can only get better :)

The first part of the route was back on the now familiar wooden path. After Vila do Conde, it became a bit more urban. Through the alleys of Vila do Conde, Caxinas, Poça da Barca, and Póvoa de Varzim, I kept following the blue signs and yellow arrows.

At one point, I considered staying in Póvoa de Varzim (about 14 km from Labruge) as my body was finally starting to show signs of fatigue.

The next section of the route took me along the windy beach promenade, where I could recharge my energy with a short lunch break in a café, and then decided to tackle the 7 km to the next pilgrim hostel.

With about 40 km/h headwind, that was quite a tiring decision. But there’s no helping it; just enjoy the view of the waves and the sun at my back (yes, today my legs were creamed 😁) and put one foot in front of the other.

After the place 'A Ver o Mar', it was back to the wooden path. There I met Christian from Nuremberg, with whom I walked the last tough kilometers to the pilgrim hostel. Shared misery is half the misery 😅.

Happy to have finally arrived after 22 km, we were unfortunately quickly brought back to reality: The last free beds were just being assigned! And now?

The lady at the reception could fortunately help us, she referred us to a private accommodation around the corner. There we (and gradually more pilgrims) were hosted by a nice older gentleman and made ourselves comfortable. After a toast (big portion of cheese toast for €2.50!!!) at the beach café and a (still very windy) short beach walk, we're pretty exhausted now and winding down the evening at the accommodation.